I am so completely smitten with today’s enchanting Woodland themed wedding! Abounding with family heirlooms, DIY decor and rustic styling; there are so many details to love it is hard to know where to begin – I’m talking vintage doily bunting, whimsical gold painted woodland creatures, a grandmother’s beautiful veil, and a chicken! Believe me when I say you will want your pinning finger ready for this creative beauty….

When bride & groom Kelsey & Brandon tried to describe the theme of their DIY wedding to friends & family, nobody understood what they meant. But they stuck true to their unique vision and (as you will soon see) when it was it all put together, it made complete sense!

“Our theme was “tasteful Narnia” and the colors were sage, dusty rose and gold. I literally made everything myself, with most of the materials coming from my late grandmothers belongings – all the lace and doilies were hers. Since I have always preferred older aesthetics and vintage things it all came together beautifully!

It was also a group event that we wanted to last longer than the average wedding party. So all our friends and family went in on renting houses together and stayed for the whole weekend, Friday night we had a taco bar/talent show, Saturday was the main event and Sunday we had a Long Island bagel teardown party! It was great to see all our favorite people get to know each other over the course of a few days!”

“Unfortunately, both of my grandmothers have passed away and both of their death anniversaries were the same week as the wedding. In my locket I put each of their wedding photos, so they were both with me all day.”

“Brandon wore his grandfather’s pocket watch. And I carried his mother’s families wedding handkerchief, 4 generations later, we all have our initials embroidered in the hem.”

Their marquee reception was a real family affair when it came to decor, Kelsey explains “Everything from the table runners to the tree cookie coasters were made with love and very little money. We only really paid for the catering, photography and the rented tent/tables/chairs. All the center pieces were created using found objects and material from nature – I spent the whole summer collecting interesting looking pieces of wood and fallen branches to use as the table settings. My ‘Army of Aunts’ helped make everything else happen by hand and elbow grease, it was a team effort for sure!”

“My Great Aunt decorated my Nanny’s old ladder which sat at the entrance to the marquee. It was completely covered in little flowers, candles, animals, lace and moss. Decked from the very tippy top, spilling out into the entrance, it was be the first thing guests saw walking in – and it was stunning!”

“We also made the table seating chart out of hanging vintage window, my mom’s going to make them into cork boards now!”

“Our favors were handmade tree cookie coasters – they were Brandon’s big job and my brother helped!”

“My favorite detail was the golden woodland creatures, all I did was spray paint a couple dozen plastic toys, but they were so cute and pulled our theme together. Everyone seems to have taken one home with them also, each time I’ve visited a friend since they’ve had one! There was a corresponding bingo game that you could play with the animals as well if you wanted! “

“Our guest book was a vintage recipe scrapbook when I found it. But I replaced the hardware, added new pages and photo corners, so that our guests could have their pictures taken with a Fujifilm Instant Camera (like a Polaroid, I’m a photographer too) they added their photo and a message, which was really cool.”

Oh how adorable are those little gold animals?? And the animal bingo is such a great idea – an easy way to keep the kids busy too!! I just love Kelsey & Brandon’s laid back style! A huge congratulations to them on creating such a magical day, and a big thankyou to them and their photographer Alicia King for letting me share every detail of it with you. If you love these photographs and would like to see more of Alicia’s fabulous work, why not make your next stop her website at aliciakingphotography.com and be sure to find and follow her on Instagram and Facebook.

If, as I do, you love this wedding and are looking for more rustic vintage inspiration for your own big day, then you might want to see this gorgeous greenery-filled vision, this colourful country meet’s city wedding and the bee themed celebration of Samantha & Steven is not to be missed – it is simply fabulous! Or if its the woodland theme that has you feeling inspired, do check out Sonia & Jules 1950s inspired affair.

Amy

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Contributors & Credits

Photography – Alicia King Photography // Venue – The Thorn Preserve // Floral Design – Wildflower Design // Catering – New World Catering // Rentals – Rhinebeck Rentals // Wedding Dress – Ivy and Aster // Bridal Boutique – Lovely // Veil – Vintage // Bracelet – Cambodian Bomb Bracelet